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Introducing TIMSYBERIA
INTRODUCING OUR LATEST PROJECT
We’d like to introduce our latest project: a 2006 Porsche Cayenne S. This one is a replacement for our Audi Allroad we sold a few months ago and is going to be a daily driver, mild off-road project and backup tow vehicle. Yes, they are rated to tow 7500lbs! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c3d3956d_c.jpg Finding it was a pain in the arse. We couldn’t believe the junk dealers were offering for sale in “ready to drive” condition. You’d have thought it was standard practice to have all the requisite cylinders firing but apparently opinion is divided on the matter. At least two SE Michigan dealers think some cylinders are optional and one of those wouldn’t let us test drive his car because it was raining! Eventually we found this example on Facebook Marketplace for sale by owner and it was a stand-out so we snapped it up. It was probably a bit over priced but was running on all eight cylinders, had a good story and background and drove nicer than anything else we’d looked at. The owner even brought it round to our shop and hung out while we put it on the hoist and poked and prodded it. So it’s a Cayenne S with 131,000 miles, which sounds a lot but is about 8,000 miles a year so technically low mileage. It has a 4.5l V8 and is pretty loaded for a car designed two decades ago. It’s obviously been sat around a bit over the last few years if the service records are anything to go off but is rust free and almost everything works. There’s a couple of lights out and the battery, though fairly new, seems a bit lethargic. The valve cover gaskets are leaking, the body is unmolested but there are some scratches on the rear right corner. It has air suspension and one of the strut/bag dust covers is cracked. According to an inspection that was carried out by a local Porsche specialist before it was offered for sale, the lower control arm bushings are ready to be replaced, but we couldn’t tell. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c0dfdd73_c.jpg So what’s the plan for this beast? Firstly, a full service and fix as many of the issues above; then we can begin to ruin it. Well, not really. It’s actually too nice to ruin which is fine as it is supposed to be a daily driver primarily so we’re thinking a mild off-road build is in order. Rather like the Allroad but with working air suspension. we'd also like to keep everything somewhat reversible as these are becoming collectible and this particular one is actually quite nice and straight; perhaps unfortunately so. In order to avoid the "bro-truck" or "mall crawler" moniker we came up with the idea of doing a Transsyberia tribute build. Those looked quite conservative but added a little to the Cayenne's already prodigious off-road bona fides. However, that might seem a little pretentious so we thought we could more likely get away with it if we introduced a bit of humor to the equation and name it the TIMSYBERIA instead. Nobody can be angry at you if you make them laugh, right? As this particular vehicle has air suspension like the original Transsyberias which were not lifted much, if at all, we don't feel we need a lift. Some slightly oversized all terrain tires and the flick of a switch should get us where we need to be. These will be mounted on BRAID Winrace T Beadlock B wheels (of course) with a modest offset. Anthracite with a red Beadlock ring because we stock them. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2152c2fbc6.jpg The roof rack off the Allroad, some iconic rally lights across the front, maybe some skid plates and a hitch mounted spare. Of course it will need a livery. As it is white the Rothmans livery we are so well known for copying would be an obvious choice and we’re not ruling it out altogether, but are leaning towards adapting the original Transsyberia livery to our palette. Fundamental to this design is the large decal on the doors. Obviously we can't use a TRANSSYBERIA decal so have devised a TIM version: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2122ef5d_n.jpg To continue the theme from the beadlock wheels we intend to create these in red along with the rest of the decal package as far as we can. What is orange here will be red on ours: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...489fb31d_c.jpg The interior of the Transsyberia models was black with orange accents. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2d6f5ed9_c.jpg Ours is beige with wood accents. It is out of the budget to replace the interior and probably unwise to add red accents so we think we will leave it alone and just embrace the beige-ness. Maybe we will grow to think of it as "Safari Sand" over time. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ee9bddb2_c.jpg One exciting aspect of the project is that we are partnering with RENNLINE (www.rennline.com) on the build. They are currently developing products for the Cayenne and we are going to get to try some of them on our test rig. Let’s hope they don’t get too radical for us! Here’s a start: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7ac8f335_c.jpg Full photo album: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzLxF6 |
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Nice find on that S. Most do not have the air suspension and full leather.
Notice that Porsche went with the vinyl interior for their off-road version. Kind of a shame to subject the leather to extreme off-road conditions. Oh, know that the toe changes quite a lot with full ride height changes. |
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I've just had a stupid idea. Or is it pure genius?
Why don't I do the Press On Regardless rally with the TIMSYBERIA Cayenne. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Press-on-Regardless_Rally Press On Regardless® (POR) – Detroit Region SCCA http://drscca.org/wp-content/uploads...7-1536x809.jpg |
TIMSYBERIA Project Prep
We all know what it’s like when you have a new project in front of you. All the exciting ideas, all the planning, all the compulsiveness pushing you to jump right in and start modding. Well, before you do that any adult in any room will suggest laying a good foundation so that’s what we must do: fully service our base vehicle and fix any issues we find. Well, not exactly. We really could not resist throwing some BRAID wheels and new tires on it. In our defense we did have the wheels in stock and the tires were here too, having arrived with a batch of other tires for some of our vehicles, so they would take up less room mounted. Rationalization complete we mounted the tires and bolted them to the car. Not with the OE bolts of course. No, we got some longer studs and heat-treated nuts from our friends at Rennline. They might seem a bit too long but we wanted to leave room for spacers in case we felt the need later. They don’t half look baller (seat!) though. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...9d890b29_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d3527fa5_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...bac21106_c.jpg If you are interested the wheels are Winrace T Beadlock B in 18x8 and the tires are 265/60-18 Falken Wildpeaks. The wheels have a unique to BRAID road legal beadlock system that was developed for DAKAR style rally raid events. So with that out of the way we buckled down to some deferred maintenance and fixes. What did we do? First a full service: oil, trans fluids, brake fluid, all fluids basically. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7df1df12_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e274acb0_c.jpg And, what did we find to fix? The right rear strut bellows disintegrated when we looked at it, so that got replaced. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d7d61eec_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4a1a9e00_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...84fa7eaa_c.jpg The driver’s door was sagging so we added a shim. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8ce4ce52_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...80ccf27b_c.jpg |
One of the parking lights was out so we changed the bulb. That didn’t fix it because...
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ce0bec73_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...92aff405_c.jpg Our B and C pillars were a bit manky. The silver anodizing had gone a bit cloudy so we covered them in black vinyl. Looks even better. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2e5b16a5_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2617ebc5_c.jpg We replaced the battery that seemed to have trouble holding onto electrons. It’s under the driver’s seat and not so easy to get to. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f4bed6b2_c.jpg The one repair we failed at was fixing an oil leak. We had determined it was probably coming from the valve cover gaskets but could not get the valve covers off. The rear lower bolts on each bank are notoriously hard to get a tool on but, despite cobbling together an array of custom gadgets we could not get any purchase on the torx heads of them. It appears that someone previously had maybe mangled them a bit and our torx bits kept slipping out. We did a tactical withdrawal to lick our wounds and may return to these one day soon. At least we didn’t make the oil leak worse. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1a0745fb_z.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7d4ee621_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...831de9d5_c.jpg So, with the boring stuff out of the way (except the wheels and tires of course) we’ll start modifying stuff to make it worthy of the name “TIMSYBERIA” |
LET THE MODS BEGIN.
Now we have a solid base we can start modifying the car. We Hope you find it worth the wait. First off Rennline sent us a couple of their fire extinguisher mounts to try. The one for the 958 model didn’t fit but the universal one did, so we mounted that up in short order: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3ca3ba98_c.jpg It mounts under the sliders using the bolts that hold the seat to the vehicle: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f1b33db7_z.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...04fc5758_c.jpg Then we added the quick release clips and the fire extinguisher itself: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0f0b5a1e_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...21f8688c_c.jpg The seat is fully back in the above shot. Next item on the agenda, a phone holder from ProClip. We always liked these holders and are always impressed by the clever ways they find to mount them to whatever vehicle we have. They are not cheap but worth every penny. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...77d14a20_c.jpg This one used the gaps around the center vent to mount (we subsequently moved it to the middle) https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6cee671f_c.jpg Now onto something more hard core; mud flaps! We are a Rally Armor dealer and have always like their line of Urethane mud flaps, especially the universal ones as we tend to put them on somewhat unusual vehicles that they don’t have a fitment for. In this case we went with their big and beefy motorsport spec universal flaps and we think they are just perfect. Before we ordered them we made sure they would fit by making some cardboard versions as a proof of concept. This also helped us figure out the correct location for the holes so they would be level and at the right height which is harder than it seems it should be. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0e667b9b_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a49bd884_c.jpg |
With all the mock up work done we punched some holes (you can’t drill this stuff) and bolted them up using the OE inner fender holes and big aluminium washers we made ourselves with a hole saw!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c6cc5919_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b92ba301_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...9ae73d2d_c.jpg The red logo is almost a perfect match for the beadlock ring on our BRAID wheels too! Our next update might involve vinyl film so look out for that one. |
Just ran across this thread. Nice find! And I love your plan for it.
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Beer O'Clock - Was thumbing through some Transsyberia pictures online and saw that some of the Cayennes were sponsored by Veltins beer. Then found one in the fridge!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b0a498ba_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2ec9a551_w.jpg CEL Codes - The car has been throwing codes lately: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5e018aeb_c.jpg Apparently, the car's computer has detected a problem with the second bank in the secondary air injection system. After clearing the codes a few times, we took the system apart to see if anything was obviously amiss. It wasn’t so we put it back together. Hasn’t thrown any codes since so…..fixed? TSDs - We come up with a way to justify building our Cayenne TRANSSYBERIA tribute and give it some credibility. We are going to use it in some TSD rallies. And not just any TSD rallies; no, we are going to take on the Press On Regardless® or POR. (Press On Regardless® (POR) – Detroit Region SCCA) The baddest, oldest, longest, toughest and closest TSD rally ever. To plagiarize the event’s website: “Press On Regardless® is the Detroit Region SCCA’s premier time-speed-distance (TSD) road rally. Run through the woods of northern Michigan’s Lower and Upper Peninsulas, the current Press On Regardless® (POR) provides today’s TSD rallyists an opportunity to compete in a rally with a long history and rich tradition. While the roads used can be challenging and the speeds brisk, it is nonetheless a legal and safe TSD rally. First run in 1949, Press On Regardless® (POR) is America’s oldest continuously run rally. Over the many years that POR has been conducted it has run in a variety of formats. It started out as a 2-day endurance rally; evolved into a grueling two night stage rally in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula – becoming a FIA International Championship rally for several years – before returning to its endurance TSD rally roots in the 90s. While the current POR is a milder version than in days when it was known as ‘the longest, oldest, meanest, toughest rally in the USA’, it remains a demanding and challenging rally, and one that rallyists who’ve run come back to run again. The current POR takes place in northern Lower Peninsula Michigan, and occasionally ventures into the Upper Peninsula. It is mostly run-on unpaved county back roads and state and federal forest roads, including some narrow lanes and two trails. The rally road surfaces can include gravel, dirt and sand, and some paved segments used to move around the rally area. Weather conditions can add another entire dimension to running. The roads used can be traversed at rally speeds in the average family crossover SUV or other vehicle with more generous clearance without damage. While the rally pace is brisk, demanding skill and concentration from both driver and navigator, all speeds are legal. Running in Press On Regardless® is to participate in a piece of legendary U.S. rallying. Experienced TSD rallyists enjoy the task of maintaining speed and time while travelling over tough roads. Even newcomers to TSD occasionally show up take on the test of car and team – and if one is up for an automotive adventure, then here’s an excellent one!” There’s even a book about the event! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0f80089f_c.jpg https://www.autobooks-aerobooks.com/product/press-on-regardless-the-story-of-americas-oldest-longest-and-meanest-road-rally/ We feel this is the closest we can realistically get to competing in the actual Transsyberia rally and it’s in our backyard. Of course, it will mean competing and a few lesser TSDs first to get dialed in. We have a few months yet as it takes place mid-September. Window To Our Soul - While waiting for our custom TIMSYBERIA livery to be made we made a start on branding our Cayenne by adding a few sponsor decals. We limited most of these to the rear windows, you know, to be subtle. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0b7ecb39_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0c268f2f_c.jpg Then we received exciting news: our custom decals were ready for a mock-up, just to make sure they fit. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5e049ffe_c.jpg Don’t worry. It’s not going to be blue. |
Looking great! Interested if you are going to put some armouring underneath? Also, what about a tow hitch? Suspension lift? Keep the updates coming!!!
BTW - I have a 2010 GTS... |
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No armour plans at the moment as our current plans for should need any. I tow hitch would be useful on three fronts, the ability to tow our trsailer as a backup vehicle, the ability to mount a full size spare, and the ability to mount a bike rack. Needless to say, that's on the wish list. It's currently on the factory air bag suspension that seems to work. If that changes we will asses our options. More updates soon! |
Finally it was time to install the TIMSYBERIA livery on our Cayenne. Thanks to the mock-up done earlier in the week we were able to fine tune it to fit perfectly. Thanks to Dan C. for converting the Transsyberia design to TIMSYBERIA and his brother Douglas for installing them with perfect precision.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...832c1069_c.jpg And, we’ll think you’ll agree, well worth the effort. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...29400868_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...48b80732_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...fbc2ac92_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0a7cd419_c.jpg Driving home later that night we noticed our local Porsche dealer didn’t have a car on their display ramp. We reflected on it for a second then realized that we couldn’t let this opportunity pass and immediately pulled a Don Johnson (u-turn) https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...41896fc3_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d30baeb7_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...22d1a2e8_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...935f7e42_c.jpg It seemed like a gift from Ferdinand Porsche himself! |
JUST GIMME THE LIGHT AND SPEND THE DOE! - The new livery seems to have really tied the other mods together. We’ve noticed the car gets a lot more attention now. One woman stopped in the middle of traffic in downtown to take pictures. The drivers behind her seemed to understand too! We are beginning to feel we may be onto something with this project.
So, we were keen to crack on with more mods but our Cayenne seemed to have other ideas and started telling us about one or two light bulbs it thought were blown. It changed its mind when we checked them the next day but then insisted a couple of days later. So, we thought we would open up a headlight and see if we could figure out what was upsetting it. Well, what a surprise awaited us; most of the wires inside the headlight we removed were devoid of any insulation and there was a distinct smell of burning plastic. It very much explained the confusion our poor Cayenne was suffering and we were so glad to have heeded its cries for help before this turned into a conflagration. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...af583a4e_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...24677a83_c.jpg We popped out the other light and it was just as bad! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0c0ef549_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d21dd514_c.jpg We did some research and found that this appears to be a common occurrence, along with the harnesses inside the light pods. Bit sad that Porsche. Some people seem to have managed to repair the bad wires but they must have had tiny hands. We decided the best way forward for us was to plop down about a grand for new lights. Should be good for another 17 years at least and the lenses sparkle now. No smoke either! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0ea1cfea_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5df64fd3_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8775f5d1_c.jpg The pod harnesses we ordered were on back order but as they weren’t causing problems, yet, we elected to swap them out next time we’re in there. It’s not a trivial job apparently, as you have to remove the air boxes to access them. |
Just for general interest and comparisons, a couple shots I took today of the one that resides in the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart.
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GIVE US A BRAKE, PLEASE!
While we waited for our new lights to come in, we had a look at the rear brakes. They we making swishing noises while driving that got more pronounced when we pressed the pedal. When we got the vehicle a few months ago our initial assessment was that the pads and discs we almost at full thickness but a little glazed and pitted probably due to it sitting for a while. We thought they’d clean up their act as we started to drive it but they didn’t seem to agree. We were a little concerned that the calipers might be seized so we disassembled both sides to figure out what we needed to do. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f67aa43b_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5c439195_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f2d909c2_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2b517f8d_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0e8f3d54_c.jpg The pad retaining pins gave us some trouble but we applied some brute force and ignorance to get them out. Fortunately, the calipers were in good shape so we just ordered up new pads, discs and hardware from Pelican Parts and put everything back together. Oh joy! The brakes work great now. We hope we are done with maintenance stuff now as it’s starting to feel like a potential money pit. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...32763b27_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2769e92f_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...27bb437d_c.jpg |
NOWO or Northern Worthersee is a European car show held in a picturesque riverside park in Frankenmuth, Michigan every September. It’s a great atmosphere so we often go. This year we took two cars: our 85 Quattro and, of course, the Timsyberia. The Quattro is always a hit but we were amazed how popular the Cayenne was. It even received two awards. We couldn’t be happier.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f685eb02_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...59eb2e2c_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...abe96d9b_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...bc937ee5_c.jpg We’re floored! Well, our carpets are as we got new floor mats. We also got a cargo cover. We went back and forth on the color, finally deciding to embrace the beige; or, as we’re calling it, Dakar Sand. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...83ebcfbc_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8fdd690d_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...288f475d_c.jpg Vinyl is addictive so after installing our Timsyberia decals we could help but add some more. We know, we need help. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4478b66c_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2d0e0bf4_c.jpg The TIM stickers on the mirrors are now a tradition, much like how they also seem to end up on the porta-jons at events! |
Our last race event of the season was Empire Hill Climb in Empire, Michigan. We have been sponsoring this event for nearly a decade now and have fallen in love with the place. This year we ran the hill in our 911 rally car which we towed up there behind our Sprinter. The Timsyberia was driven up separately and was used as a course car. All three vehicles had a great time despite the 911 being quite slow on the hill.
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Now that our TIMSYBERIA Cayenne has been strutting around at various events we thought it was time it earned its stripes so to speak. Yes, it’s time it got some rally credentials. Now this thing, as great as it is proving to be, is no Paris-Dakar or stage rally worthy vehicle. Nor is it going to do the actual TRANSSYBERIA Rally (is that still a thing?) But it should be perfectly cable of handling a Time, Speed, Distance rally (TSD). “What’s that?” you might ask. Well, it’s more like the original style of rally whereby the crew (driver and navigator) are given a course to follow on public roads and an average speed at which to cover said course. The tricky bit comes because there are hidden checkpoints where the organizers check to see if you are ahead or behind schedule; to the second! So there’s a lot of pressure on the navigator to keep the crew on course and on time. The speeds are always below the posted speed limit but the challenge is in allowing for accelerations and decelerations necessary to safely get down the often narrow, twisty and unpaved roads that are typically used. We thought the TIMSYBERIA was more than up to the challenge. We, on the other hand, not so much.
Car prep is minimal. Just a solid, reliable vehicle but we did makes sure to load up the full-size spare, some tools and fluids and drinks and snacks for us. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...257f5e24_c.jpg The event we entered was one leg of a three-day National Championship round hosted by the Detroit SCCA. Unfortunately (for us) the style of this event was a “trap rally” whereby the organizer tries to trick you into going off course in such a way that you automatically end up back on course without realizing you went the wrong, and consequently longer or shorter route, with the inevitable penalty points for doing so. Well we fell for almost every trap and therefore scored what must have been a record number of points for a National level TSD! We are from now on going to refer to these types of events as “Gotcha rallies”. Never the less we had fun driving around SE Michigan’s best scenic dirt roads and proved the TIMSYBERIA to be an excellent TSD weapon. It just needs a better crew to pilot and navigate it. Our next TSD is not a trap rally and should be on snow. Look out for that update in a few weeks. Here are some pics from the event. Unfortunately TSDs do not generate exciting media content but do come with great sunrises if you’re lucky: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...169199ae_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b9d0c5a9_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d75740b1_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7cd6b6ff_c.jpg |
More credentials for the Cayenne TIMSYBERIA. We went off-roading, a bit.
We wanted to see what the car could do but don’t see ourselves as mud -boggers or rock-crawlers so the local off-road parks didn’t seem to be a good fit. We wanted an expedition experience, all be it a toe-dipping one. We discovered a 37 mile so called “Off road route” In Northern Michigan that the DNR had strung together. This is on partly on dirt and paved country roads but they are mostly the transitions to the more interesting single tracks on state land. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4b59e961_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...be6eacdb_c.jpg Consequently we needed to acquire the requisite permits: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...feb21ba7_c.jpg And load up what little recovery gear we had, i.e. none! Our goal was to drive at least some of the more interesting portions of the route near where we were staying to at least get a feel for what the trails were like and what the TIMSYBERIA is capable of. Also, not to get stuck. Temperatures were in the 40s with melting snow on the ground so we thought the Falken Wildpeak all terrain tires should be fine. The first bit of dirt we traversed was easy enough but one section proved very wet and boggy and we almost got stuck (see video). We pressed on in rally style but soon encountered what could only be described as a bog and thought it best to turn round and seek the refuge of a paved road. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...798172e7_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...312b7c1a_c.jpg <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LFgFGrlMUFA" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe> Upon review of a video someone made of the whole route it appeared we were in probably the most extreme part and were wise to have turned back. We’ll look for an opportunity to return and conquer the whole thing soon, hopefully with more gear and another vehicle or two because misery loves company, and a tow please. |
That looks like a blast! Props to you for getting out there. Can’t wait to hear how the next one goes.
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Rennline Goodies, Oil Leak Fixes & Tires
We got a new phone so we needed a new phone holder. We called Rennline’s emergency number and they sent us one of their amazing TIMSYBERIA-specific Wireless Induction Charger Mounts. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ba8f007c_c.jpg It took us longer to open the package than install it and we couldn’t be happier with it. The new phone’s not too shabby either. We do miss the rotary dial of or previous phone though. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...71f741ba_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4d033d67_c.jpg Remember how we failed to replace the valve cover gaskets and gave up. Well, we didn’t give. Instead, we re-grouped and took the car to the professionals at Munks Motors. So there! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...edc7ee1a_c.jpg Now our TIMSYBERIA keeps all its oil in the motor instead of the driveway and doesn’t feel like it’s about to set on fire when you pull up at a stop light. Perfect. It’s winter in Michigan now so we don’t roll here without proper tires on proper, winter-white, wheels. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b76e19cd_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7f716112_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...471f5c20_c.jpg These are 245/70-17 Blizzaks on BRAID Fullrace T Dakars in 17x8 with an offset of ET33. People in the cayenne community seem surprised that you can fit a 17” wheel on these cars but BRAID wheels are known for their high brake clearance so they’ll fit on anything with 350mm diameter brake discs or smaller. Anything else and you’ll need 18” or bigger. We have you covered though. |
Don’t see them too often. This one did pretty well.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2010-porsche-cayenne-s-transsyberia-12/ |
TIMSYBERIA Goes Rallying, Again!
But before we could do that we had to install some rally lights because dark. We called up our friends at Eurowise who sell lots of parts for off-road Cayennes and ordered up their bolt-on light bar designed to hold four Hella 500 lights. Cleverly, this kit bolts to the Cayenne’s tow hook mounts using specially designed threaded screws and puts the lights just in the right place. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...38f26708_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7b6aec68_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4851cb68_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...44a5fb90_c.jpg Last month we entered the Son of Sno*Drift TSD rally so called because the narrow and twisty dirt roads it uses are typically snow covered. They weren't but we had fun anyway. We didn't get lost this time but were not very good at keeping to the schedule so didn't place very high. The Cayenne behaved flawlessly though and even pulled off an improptu scandinavian flick after a late note. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ca023f1a_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...de4385f2_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...631b02a9_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...55805f8b_c.jpg In the next update we'll attend another rally. Can you guess which one? It's "related". |
That looks so bad-a$$.
You guys are killing it. Love the commitment. Can’t wait to see the next one. |
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In our last project update we told you we would be attending another rally and we weren't pulling your leg. In fact, this one was a stage rally! No, we haven't secretly turned the car into a full stage rally beast. We went there in "sponsor mode" AKA posing around mode.
We've been sponsoring and attending the Sno*Drift rally in northern Michigan for over ten years now but haven't been up there for the last three. Typically we'd drag the whole dog and pony show up there in our RALIVAN and trailer and spend three cold days in various parking lots with our display. Well we think we are established enough now that we don't feel we need to do that anymore so we just drove the 3 hours north in the TIMSYBERIA and hung out at the parc exposes, service areas and a few stages instead. So much more relaxing and fun. In fact it was great to catch up with the rally family and see the latest cars, especially the ones with our BRAID wheels on. Here are some pictures of the shenanigans for your viewing pleasure: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...180465e6_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ea5cba80_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...bcbc0986_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1a0d75ce_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...25998163_c.jpg |
I wouldn’t ever think you guys would pull anybody’s leg. From what I’ve observed, you always do what you say, and say what you do.
Glad you’re not shivering so much out there in the elements. Nice photos. Thanks. |
It’s driving season, not fixing cars season. However, we’ve been fixing cars.
The winter months revealed that the tailgate struts on our Cayenne were getting weak. They were still working but would barely hold up the tailgate. They had to go. Unlike normal cars it’s not so simple. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e4b25855_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...37c65763_c.jpg They’re beefy buggers once you get them out though and look like they belong on a motorbike or small sports car suspension! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...aac59ddd_c.jpg Our battery was of dubious origin and during the colder months showing signs of weakness so we replaced it with a new AGM unit. We didn’t think we’d bore you with pictures though. We continue to enjoy driving this car on a regular basis and enjoy taking pictures of it. We are always amazed by the response it gets at events to. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6eab7de5_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6dfeb397_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4c984b84_c.jpg See if you can spot the significance of this location. Hint, zoom in): https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e3160b77_c.jpg Like we did with our RALIVAN we took the Cayenne to Krown rust proofing in Rochester Hills, Michigan to get it treated. It might seem weird doing this in the spring but that’s when the salt applied during winter starts to do its thing. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a798ee67_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...25998163_c.jpg |
It’s been a busy summer round here but not much of it involved the TIMSYBERIA. Here’s a few highlights:
We got invited to an open day at the Jackson Speedway in mid-Michigan. The idea was to invite some people from various branches of motorsport so we could assess the facility’s suitability for holding our events. We were asked as part of the rally community, so naturally we took it for a spin around their potential rallycross track as well as the drift track! It got a little dirty. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a3ac69e8_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...307a3b7e_c.jpg As our Cayenne is so far rust free, we really want to keep it that way even though we drive it all year round. Therefore, we thought we’d give it a good shot by taking it to Krown to get it treated, just like we did for our RALIVAN. They did an excellent job as usual. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...cf6d2ddd_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a798ee67_c.jpg To contribute to the celebrations around 75 Years of Porsche Sports Cars on June 8th we assembled all our Porsches outside our showroom and took some pictures. The Cayenne looked enormous next to our 944 and 911s. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6242e576_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...55b5e677_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6e663bae_c.jpg We only did one Modification to our Cayenne this summer. One of the weird complaints we have about our Cayenne is the strangely laggy throttle response. Fortunately, there’s a fix for that. It’s called the SprintBooster https://www.sprintboostersales.com/SprintBooster/2002_to_2010_PORSCHE_Cayenne_Sprint_Booster_V3--SPRPO012 According to the website it purports to eliminate throttle lag and give instant acceleration response and we are happy to report that it does. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0888d3c7_c.jpg It installs between the pedal and the wiring loom so you have to remove a cover to access the location. The controller mounts anywhere. We stuck ours on the dash behind the steering wheel where we can’t see it. It stops us playing with it mid corner, which would be “interesting”. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...45c8a2b4_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e04c00fd_c.jpg |
A few weeks ago, we had an opportunity to take the car up to Cross Village in northern Michigan again. We didn’t get too hardcore this time but we made a new friend and drove the car through Lake Michigan.
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Always nice to see what you've been up to. And as usual, you impress! And winter's coming!
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https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6bc21796_c.jpgUntitled by BRAIDusa & Team Illuminata Motorsport, on Flickr |
Looks great as always! Keep the updates rolling!
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TEAM ILLUMINATA MOTORSPORT 2023 FLEET REVIEW
2005 CAYENNE (TIMSYBERIA): https://teamilluminata.com/blogs/timsyberia The Timsyberia Cayenne continues to fulfill its daily driver and TSD rally roles admirably while keeping us on our toes mechanically. No Cayenne nightmares have appeared and it has never let us down but we have had to fix a small oil leak, and replace the hatch struts during 2023. We gave it some 17” BRAID wheels and Blizzak winter tires recently and some rust protection from Krown as it’s just so clean. We took the car up the actual Sno*rift rally and also used the car to discover Northern Michigan’s trails on two separate occasions. We also participated in the Son of Sno*Drift TSD rally in what passes for winter these days. We were entered for the Press On Regardless TSD rally in the Fall but a back injury saw us withdraw a couple of days before. We’ll be back to conquer that one in 2024 however. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4e1c787_4k.jpg 2015 SPRINTER (RALIVAN): https://teamilluminata.com/blogs/ralivan2 Of all our vehicles that actually drive this might me the one we’ve used the least this year. About the only proper road trip we’ve used it for was when we dragged our 911 up to the Empire Hill Climb again. Before we could do that, we had to address the cooling issues it had exhibited the last time we did this. To be sure we didn’t have any more issues about a month before the event we replaced the radiator and viscous cooling fan and give it some new coolant and a transmission service. Other work on the van involved wiring the heating elements of our amazingly comfortable Scheel-Mann seats and installing a bulkhead to separate the cargo area from the cabin. We also took the van to the Mercedes dealer in Novi for a recall and to have the 70mph governor deleted from the ECU. We now can rip at around 85 if we want to! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...292d2aa3_c.jpg 85 QUATTRO: https://teamilluminata.com/blogs/85-ur-quattro This year we got to drive and show the 85 Quattro a few times. We are still chasing some minor drivability issues and the passenger side window regulator is awaiting its third fix attempt but we can now enjoy the car. We got it fully detailed, paint corrected and ceramic coated at Auto Europe early in the year and it has never been cleaner. We really enjoyed showing the car at the DeutscheMarques show at the Gilmore Museum and a concours in Northville as well as numerous cars and coffee events. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a798e8cd_c.jpg 84 911 RALLY CAR: https://teamilluminata.com/blogs/84-porsche-911 Not a lot of work on the 911 rally car this year but we got to drive it quite a bit. The year started out with some new wheels and tires as we upped our game with tire width. Then we replaced the front anti roll bar bushings and fixed an oil leak. We took the car to plenty of cars and coffee events but the standouts were our attendance at the Woodward Dream Show at M1 Concourse with around 15 other rally cars as part of the Woodward Rally Cars (WRC) Group. We were also invited back to the American Speed Festival at M1 where we demonstrated the car’s track capabilities and the Empire Hill climb again. Not a bad year for the little car that can. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...aa6ca9b2_c.jpg 83 QUATTRO RALLY BUILD: https://teamilluminata.com/blogs/quattro-rally-build We are closing in on finishing the dry build phase of this project. Once we get the wiring done, we can disassemble the car and prep the shell for paint. Hi-lights this year include, power steering pump mount, hood pins, A-pillar gussets, handbrake lever delete, radiator ducting, cold air intake, spare tire, intercom, fire extinguishers, map light, dash cover, power wiring and the bumper and hood slot mesh. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a493981b_c.jpg 89 944 TURBO: https://teamilluminata.com/blogs/89-944-turbo Early in the year we got a new addition to the fleet. A 1989 Porsche 944 Turbo (951) fully built race car and all its spares. We are not sure what we’ll do with this one yet or how it will fit into our marketing plans but it does look good in the showroom. As it’s not even close to being street legal we haven’t driven it much but we did shake it down at a local autocross in the summer where, despite its wide Hoosier R7 tires, it performed very well and was very easy to drive. The only real mechanical work we have performed on the car is to give it some proper BRAID wheels and more autocross and track day friendly tires. Hopefully we’ll have some opportunities to get this beast out on a track during 2024 so we can see what it can really do in the environment it was built for. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...aa898777_c.jpg |
SON OF SNO*DRIFT RALLY
Last week we resumed our abuse of the Detroit SCCA Region’s TSD rally program by participating in their Son of Snow*Drift event. It was looking like being yet another Son of Mud*Drift but for a big winter storm that blew in the day before and made for a very interesting drive to the start and event itself. So, we faced some tricky conditions. Good job we have #properwheelsbybraidusa and #propertires mounted to a #propervehicle. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d04c0c07_o.png https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2ed9c6b7_c.jpg As usual we prepared to the ultimate degree by loading the TIMSYBERIA Cayenne with Hobnobs and proper tea. There was some recovery gear in there too somewhere and lots of wires, some of which were attached to “technology”. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f951b879_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d6e394f8_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...bfa7d2b5_c.jpg The rally started from a restaurant just west of Detroit and headed further west into the boonies around Ann Arbor (we think). You could see the competition quaking it their boots in the parking lot as we pulled in, once we cleared the windshield of course. The TIMSYBERIA Cayenne can look pretty intimidating in “rally mode”. They needn’t have worried however. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8301c1582c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...87d76d93_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0312b94a_c.jpg Once we returned to the restaurant around 8pm we were still smiling even though we managed to finish last in class. For the first two legs our GPS and software was malfunctioning so we were way off schedule and missed a few turns while trying to fix it. We gave up on that for the third leg and resorted to stock class rules for which we were not the least prepared but we did a lot better. However, we couldn’t recover from the debacle earlier so ended the rally with about 1000 points. Not too bad all things considered and not last either. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...254d1c31_c.jpg One again the TIMSYBERIA Cayenne was a champ. We will be back and plan on getting zero points at POR later in the year with maybe even one more rehearsal before that. Stay tuned. |
SNO*DRIFT RALLY (AKA #poodrift)
We have been attending the Sno*Drift stage rally in northern Michigan as a sponsor or volunteer for nearly 20 years but this year we decided to fulfill both roles simultaneously. We were honored to be asked to feed the course workers and other volunteers during the event on the second day, Saturday, using our Cayenne “Timsyberia”. This would entail driving the entire route and handing out lunches at the various worker stations as well as feeding some of the mobile volunteers. First, we had to prep the Cayenne. As room would be a premium we put our spare on the roof, loaded up our recovery gear and checked the air pressure in our Blizzaks. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b7cf6425_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...52ba1490_c.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2ed9c6b7_c.jpg After studying the schedule and the route it soon became apparent that this would be a lot more complicated than we thought. As we had to wait till workers were on course in order to feed them that limited when we could start each stage. We also had to get to the end of each stage before the 000 car caught us which meant getting to the end of the stage before their scheduled finish time. This wouldn’t leave much time to stop and distribute lunches along the route. Even more complicated is that the event runs two sets of zero cars that cover alternate stages. This meant that by the time we’d finished feeding one stage the 000 car for the next would already be on the stage. We either needed a time machine or a new plan. While our Cayenne is more than capable of going 88 mph, we decided to come up with a new plan instead. We decided to feed some of the stage crews ahead of time at their meeting points and to hit some of the stages that were run twice after their first run was completed. Even so this would not leave a great deal of time on some of the stages so we decided to make the Cayenne more conspicuous by adding an ice cream truck chime! Yes, we turned it into an ice cream truck and made as many people as possible aware so they’d know to expect us and we wouldn’t have to wait around too much. Not only was this extremely effective it also made many of the workers smile which was an unintended bonus. https://youtu.be/GuTJE4uTgzE?si=W5D6wnA5afJCj01i https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a18700b0_c.jpg Another hurdle confronted us however, when we went to pick up the lunches first thing on Saturday morning. There were nearly 300 of them and they wouldn’t all fit in the vehicle; even if we dispensed with the occupants! A plan F was needed. (Yes, we were already at plan E). Looking at our schedule and negotiating with the folks who made all the lunches we decided we could swing by two more times during the day and reload more lunches, hopefully. That actually worked out and we got to feed everyone we were supposed to, got to drive quite a few of the stages and watch the rally at the spectator area of the iconic bonfire alley stage. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e2086e74_c.jpg https://youtu.be/RfIfE3aM1u4?si=eqXwjwnPrZxkoeD_ https://youtu.be/tXvRevIMBW0?si=rtQHiygLjmdtH_vN https://www.facebook.com/reel/754729666720682 Even though it all worked out the logistics of a stage rally are so complex that we might have just gotten lucky and we can’t say with any certainty that we could implement the same plan next or any year. We concluded that, assuming we are invited back, next year we’ll run two vehicles with two people in each one rather than the three people we had this year. That should allow us to basically precede the two sets of zero cars on each stage and not have to go back for more lunches during the day. Hopefully, before then, we’ll have lots more fun with this amazing vehicle so like and subscribe, as they say. |
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